Iranian envoy summoned over country's comments on Delhi violence

A day after Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif called the Delhi riots as a wave of organized violence against Indian Muslims, India on Tuesday summoned Iranian Ambassador Ali Chegeni and raised a strong protest with him over the comments.

Official sources said the envoy was conveyed that Zarif had commented on a matter which was purely internal to India. In a tweet on Monday (March 2), Zarif urged Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of all Indians.

Iran condemns the wave of organized violence against Indian Muslims.

For centuries, Iran has been a friend of India. We urge Indian authorities to ensure the wellbeing of ALL Indians & not let senseless thuggery prevail.

Path forward lies in peaceful dialogue and rule of law.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) March 2, 2020

Only last week, Pakistan  Prime Minister Imran Khan had tweeted that Indian Muslims were being targeted and called upon the international community to act on the issue. He went on to say Nazi-inspired RSS ideology had taken over a nuclear-armed state of over a billion people.

As I had predicted in my address to UN GA last yr, once the genie is out of the bottle the bloodshed will get worse. IOJK was the beginning. Now 200 million Muslims in India are being targeted. The world community must act now.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 26, 2020

Besides Iran and Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia too had expressed concern over the violence in Northeast Delhi that erupted on February 23, killing at least 47 people.

“India right now has become a country where massacres are widespread. What massacres? Massacres of Muslims. By who? Hindus,” AFP quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying while delivering a speech in Ankara.

The Foreign Ministry of Indonesia too raised concerns over violence. “The government of Indonesia has complete confidence that the government of India will be able to manage the situation and ensure the harmonious relations among its religious communities,” the Jakarta Post reported.